Meeting
by Maus17
Summary: With friends like England and Norway, Romania should've known better than to go to that meeting.


_Just one more hour to go. Sixty minutes. I can do this._

Romania repeated the thought like a mantra of sorts as he sniffled and subtly rubbed his temple with clammy fingers. His skull seemed to be splitting open, and he didn't even want to think about how many times he'd gotten up to go get a tissue. He'd tried stashing them in his pockets to save him the embarrassment of getting up two seconds later, but that hadn't really worked. England had eventually taken pity on him and discreetly managed to slide the box over somehow but when Romania flashed him a thankful glance, all he'd gotten from his friend in return was a scolding look.

The European nation sniffed yet again and sighed stuffily, rubbing the bridge of his irritated nose with a slim finger. _I wonder what I did this time.. _He didn't recall playing any pranks on the Englishman as of late..Perhaps he was just in one of his moods. Whatever. His head was too achey to think about much of anything right now. Except for the massive tingle that had just started up in his sinuses.

Ro rubbed his nose again and tried to sniff the irritation away, but that only seemed to make it worse. The tickle actually seemed to be fighting back, and soon, his eyes were involuntarily fluttering shut.

_"H-hih..."_

The corners of his eyes watered, and his pink nostrils quivered as the sneeze struggled to make it past the congestion in his nose.

_"H-..Heh-NX'ch! Eh_._.hih-Ktch..!" _

Stifling was painful. The action made his temples scream in protest, and his ears pounded- but he didn't want to interrupt the meeting more than he already had. Romania sniffed lightly and wiped at his nose, coughing as quietly as he could into his fist. As he leaned back in his chair, he heard a chorus of hushed blessings, and he flushed in embarrassment, mumbling a quiet thank you before sinking into his seat.

When was the last time he'd looked at the clock..? His crimson eyes darted upwards towards the wall, and he felt his heart sink in despair. About two minutes had gone by. This was going to be the longest hour of his life.

Normally, Ro was a pretty optimistic guy. But with his sinuses aching, head throbbing, nose running..He couldn't quite do it today. Romania wrinkled his nose and put a finger under his nostrils, trying to rub away the burning sensation he felt. The last thing he wanted to do was sneeze again- that meant stifling, and more headache, and more blowing his nose, which was already red and sore... But it seemed that today was far from being his lucky day.

Unsatisfied with the two stifled sneezes, his nose was demanding relief, and his nostrils stubbornly began to quiver again, making his breath hitch. Tissue at the ready, Romania gasped quietly and buried his face in it, trembling. _"Ihh...hahhh..eh-..."_

"Prosit."

The voice surprised him, and his sneeze was scared away. Ro sniffed wetly and peeked up at the source, a little sheepish smile making his lips curve upwards as he set eyes on Norway. The Norwegian arched an eyebrow at him from across the table, and blinked.

"Multumesc, Norvegia.." he managed to rasp before slouching in his seat, tilting his head back sluggishly to squint at the ceiling light. Too bright for his liking..and it set his nose abuzz with just the push he needed to sneeze yet again. Romania's breath went ragged as he sat up slowly, eyes fluttering. _"Eh.."_

The nation pressed a semi-soiled tissue to his poor nose, lips trembling as his chest heaved. _"Ha-shyuu! Ngshuu! ..ihh...HIPSHH! E-EHKSH!" _

Face flushed, Romania reached for another tissue with shaking fingers, and paused when he noted a pair of cold eyes staring at him, blinking in confusion once his vision cleared and he identified the owner of the eyes as...Norway again. Shrugging apologetically, he turned away and shut his eyes, blowing his nose wetly. He flushed a bit harder at the soft honk of congestion he produced at the end, and shoved the soiled tissues into his pocket, stifling a yawn. As soon as he got home, he was going to down an entire bottle of NyQuil and-... A hand was on his shoulder.

Ro looked up and blinked tiredly, squinting in confusion. To his utter shock, England was frowning down at him, and with his free hand, he picked up the tissue box and tucked it under his arm. His expression was stern, and his eyes didn't yield when he laid them upon Romania's haggard expression.

"Come alone now, Romania," he hissed quietly, tugging him upwards. "You're coming with me."

"A-Anglia?" Romania whispered incredulously, limply following along in a daze, his legs wobbling. "What are you doing..?" His friend provided no clue or insight, and merely tugged him out the door, pulling him along down the hall until Romania pulled away weakly, his head spinning. Baffled, England turned around, green eyes widening as he watched Ro's reddened nose twitch and wiggle.

_"Ahhh..nn..ah-ah-..Ah-shyuuu! AHKSHHH!" _Romania sneezed into the open air, releasing a light mist, his hands useless as he doubled over, stumbling. England grimaced lightly and held out the box of tissues. He was slightly disgusted, but much too worried about his fellow magic friend to lecture him about covering his nose.

"Goodness, Ro. Bless you," he mumbled as his bedraggled friend took a tissue and blew his nose with a hearty sniff. "You're going home." Romania blinked up at him and rubbed his eyes, already shaking his head slowly.

"Nu," he mumbled softly, corners of his lips twitching upwards into a feeble smile. "We have ad hour left, Anglia. I cad handle it. I feel fide..If anythi'g, I thought you were addoyed-" England tutted at him and handed him another tissue as he sniffled.

"Nonsense. What's annoying me is your hard headedness. You are going home- I'm driving you. Now do stop being so stubborn-"

"Prosit. And I would listen to England."

England looked up with a wry smirk and crossed his arms as Romania took the tissue box from him, arching a thick eyebrow as Norway walked up and fixed his other friend with a solid glare that could freeze volcanoes. "...And blow your nose."

Without warning, he put his hand on Romania's forehead, and his frown deepened upon coming into contact with his warm skin. Ro froze and remained mouth half open, caught in mid protest. Norway's fingers felt cool, and brought relief he didn't know he'd needed. His eyes fluttered, and he let his frame sag. Norway took his moment of silence to keep talking.

"You're going home," he mumbled solidly, finally letting his hand drop to his side. "Like England said." Ro blinked in shock and looked up at the both of them in disbelief. He gave another wet sniffle and pulled the last tissue out of the box, wiping his runny nose and wincing. The area around his nostrils was already chapped, and they flared slightly at the unwelcome contact.

"...Fine," he mumbled softly, his voice slightly less congested. A soft smile spread on his features and he let out a small breath of a laugh. "Multumesc, you two..." England gave him a soft nudge as they began to walk down the hallway slowly.

"Someone has to knock sense into you," he joked. "I was getting rather bored of the meeting anyhow...Say, Romania. I could make you some soup if you like-"

"We're trying to make him feel better," Norway interrupted. "Not kill him."

"NORWAY!"

Romania burst into laughter, feeling better already.

* * *

><p>Usually, Norway grew rather annoyed by Romania's 'chattering', and gave him a soft nudge in the ribs for him to quiet down, or called him noisy. Now, however...he just wished he would <em>say<em> _something_. As England continued to drive on, he looked in the rearview mirror silently, his heart secretly sinking once he laid eyes on his Romanian friend in the back.

Ro was resting his head on the window, his breath fogging up the cold glass, eyes half open and dazed. He froze for a moment, lips trembling as a stifled yawn ballooned in his chest, leaving him more tired than before. "Mph.."

He'd been laughing just a few minutes ago, but now he was quiet, and drained, and looked like he wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep for a few decades. Why he'd bothered arguing with them in the first place was beyond the Norwegian nation. _Stubborn. _He turned back to England, and raised an eyebrow in a quiet inquiry, catching his eye as the vehicle stopped at a red light.

England took a look at his blank expression, deemed unreadable by most people- but he wasn't one of them. He caught the soft, subtle light of concern in Norway's eyes, and raised his own emerald orbs to take a peek at Romania, instantly giving a soft tut of disapproval as he saw Ro's head bob forward, only to snap back up as he tried to keep himself awake.

"Tsk...Romania, you should try to doze off or something of the like," he advised. "We're in for a long ride, and you look ti-...oh dear."

The tip of Romania's nose was twitching like it had a mind of its own, and a far away look had settled onto his expression. Soon, his breath began to hitch, and his shoulders trembled, nostrils flaring as his irritated nose tried to find peace.

_"Eheh...eh..HEPSH!..Nshyuu!" _he sneezed openly into his hands, sniffling hard and grimacing at the unwelcome mist that settled onto his fingers, but another quiver of his nose told him he was far from being done. He wrinkled his nose in discomfort and squeezed his eyes shut as another twinge attacked his sinuses. _"H-hah..Ha-kshyuuh! IH-PSHH!..Ih..."_

His eyes fluttered, and his chest swelled and deflated with the prospect of another buildup, lips slightly parted...and then it went away as soon as it had come, leaving him achy, dazed, and unsatisfied. Ro sniffled and kept his hands over his nose and mouth, flushing in embarrassment once he remembered that there were no more tissues.

"Bless you. Norway, get- ah, yes. There we go," England mumbled quietly as Nor reached into his breast pocket and took out a soft, green little square with an elegant E embroidered on the corner in cursive. England's handkerchief. Norway turned towards Romania and held it out to him with a small huff.

"Prosit...Blow your nose," he commanded quietly, locking eyes with him for a few seconds before turning back to the front. He sighed and winced at the harsh gurgling honk that Romania emitted before giving a stuffy sigh and slouching once more.

"Go ahead and keep it, I don't think I'll be needing it back," England said, voice changing from encouraging to stern in seconds. "And where is your handkerchief Romania? I specifically remember giving you one, not too far back.."

Romania shrugged and dabbed at his nose, closing his eyes and leaning back in his seat, cheeks flushed in apology. "Nu stiu," he admitted truthfully. "I don't know. Per'aps I lost it or..left it in my other jacket..I don't know, Anglia."

He was much too tired to indulge England's mother henning at the moment. That was going to have to wait. He was just so tired now..

In front, Norway gave England a swift swat to the back of his head, and rolled his eyes pointedly before he turned to his weary friend in the back, turning up the heat so he wouldn't be too cold. "Go to sleep."

Ro obeyed happily and soon lost consciousness with a final bleary grunt.

* * *

><p>"... got him."<p>

"You sure? I..."

"Ja, hurry up. ... cold outside...fever.."

Romania's world consisted of half formed voices and swirls of slurred shapes, running like errant watercolors on paper. A chill went down his spine, and he gave a shiver, grumbling softly in protest before being enveloped in sudden warmth. He relaxed, and sniffled gratefully, giving in to this odd floating feeling. It felt nice, not having to walk-...

Wait. If he wasn't walking, then how in the blue blazes was he moving? His eyes fluttered, and he squinted, met with a sudden blob of dark. The shape was soft, and warm, and-...

_"Ksssss!" _

Sudden brightness invaded his senses, stabbing his corneas and setting his irises ablaze with unwelcome beams, making him hiss and hide his face. He blearily flailed, trying to cover his eyes, and the shape grumbled and growled quietly. His dreamy comfort was gone, and now he was half awake and not too happy about it.

"Turn it off, England." The voice seemed to be right next to him, yet slightly above his head...

"Oh, sorry.." This one was further away, and soon after the owner of the voice had mumbled his apology, the searing brightness went away.

Two voices broke his half formed train of thought and Romania kept his face hidden in..Norway's sweater. He knew it the instant his mind cleared, and his fingers curled instinctively into the soft blue fabric. Stunned, he slowly peeled his face away and blinked groggily up at him, baffled.

"..Norvegia...?" he croaked, receiving a slightly amused navy gaze in return.

"Welcome to the world of the living," Norway mumbled as he walked down the hall behind England, following him to Romania's room. He squinted and nearly tripped once they crossed the threshold, tightening his grip on Ro so he wouldn't drop him.

Romania let out a congested laugh and let his eyes droop as another shiver wracked him. "..I am a powerful wizard," he protested, trying to sit up. "I can walk to my own room, you know." In spite of his own words, his arms trembled when he tried to pry himself from Norway, and he blinked a few times as his head spun. Norway scoffed, and Romania's banter was interrupted by his nose. The all too familiar twinge had started up in his sinuses again, and his nostrils flared, breath hitching.

_"Heh..ih.." _he hitched, blindly pressing his face against Norway's chest to quell the tingle in his nose. Unfortunately, that didn't really help, and he ended up sneezing anyway. _"Hih-shyuu!...snf.._Augh, Norvegia, I'm so sorr-"

"Prosit," Norway mumbled, looking down at him. He could only see the vague outline of Ro's face, but he knew he was flushing in embarrassment, feverish cheeks ablaze. He gave a shrug. "I don't mind. Not like you can help it."

If anyone else would have sneezed on him, he would have cursed everyone in their generation. But this was Ro. That was different. He didn't care that he'd sneezed on him- he just wanted him to get better.

England scolded the sickly nation, voicing his thoughts as he pulled back the covers to Romania's bed. "Powerful Wizard indeed. Can't even figure out that curing your own cold doesn't include dragging yourself to a meeting."

Romania flushed softly and grumbled quietly as he was set down, but as soon as his weary limbs made contact with the mattress, he sank and fell silent, sniffling. "Hmmb..."

"Just as I thought," England huffed, crossing his arms as Norway took Romania's hat off and set it on the bedside table. Ro opened his mouth to offer one last attempt at a weak protest before his bothersome nose began to tingle and itch. He froze and rolled onto his side, cupping his face with a blanket as his nostrils trembled and flared.

_"Ih..Ih-hishhh! Hah-..Ha-kshhh! EH-SHYUU!" _

His frame quivered with the force of each sneeze, and he was left teary eyed and bleary. _Rahat.._

Once again, Norway's cool hand was on his forehead, and Ro's eyes fluttered shut, a shiver worming its way down his spine. "Cold.."

"You still have a fever," he stated bluntly. "You should go back to sleep." England was soon hovering over him as well, expression soft as he put a hand on Romania's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"He's right, you know. You get some rest, yes? We'll take care of everything."

Romania gave a final sigh and a faint nod. "..Da. Thank you.."

"You git. That's what friends are for."

"Ja. We can't have you dying...It wouldn't give us a good image."

"Of course.."

With a sleepy chuckle, Ro curled up and let himself succumb to his own exhaustion, lips curved upwards at the corners in a tired smile. With Norway and England taking care of him, he was sure he'd have nothing to worry about.


End file.
